UFC News: Showdown between Amanda Ribas and Mackenzie Dern sees impressive decision finish

Mackenzie Dern found herself in the limelight going into her UFC fight night 161 Strawweight fight with Amanda Ribas on Saturday for multiple reasons. She was returning to the MMA Octagon after a break of more than a year and it was her first appearance in the cage since giving birth in June. Moreover, with Dern’s record of missing weight marks, there was always the question of whether she would make it.

But when it came to the actual fight, RIbas dominated the cage left, right, and center and gave no chance for Dern to take an upper hand.

What happened at UFC Fight Night 161?

While Ribas looked sharp and focused throughout the three rounds at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, Dern clearly appeared to be suffering from a bit of ring-rust and seemed out of touch.

Ribas started striking hard and fast early on in the fight, and once they started making contact, she went on to increase the speed and frequency of the jabs and punches. From the way Ribas kept pushing forward, there was very little room for Dern to retaliate easily.

There was a Brazilian jiu-jitsu takedown attempt by Dern towards the end of the first round, but it fell on its face as Ribas successfully dodged it by shifting her weight and bringing her on top instead, turning the tables quickly.

The second round went down more or less similarly, including it leading to an altercation on the floor. Ribas had already done enough to secure her a Unanimous Decision win going into the third round, where she resorted to stick and move striking taking advantage of her reach.

In the end, the scores were 30-27 on the board in Ribas’ favor and it was her hand up in the air, taking her current streak of victory to three wins.

For Dern, on the other hand, it was the first defeat in her professional career of 8 fights.

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